Paralympics refocuses on future without Pistorius

ROB HARRISAP Sports Writer Published: February 19, 2013 6:07 PM

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LONDON (AP) -- As Oscar Pistorius offered his first defense against a murder charge, the head of the Paralympics was trying to reassure members Tuesday that the organization has a strong future even without its star athlete.

International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven told The Associated Press he has been in a state of "shock and disbelief" since Pistorius was arrested Thursday in the shooting of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Having been central to plans to maintain the momentum from the record-breaking Paralympics last year, Pistorius has now been forced to pull out of all future races.

The South African helped to generate unprecedented interest in disability sports by becoming the first double amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics. Now Craven is acting quickly to ensure the Paralympics' progress is not damaged by the fallout from Pistorius' high-profile case.

"We've got so many stars coming through that this will not be an issue," Craven said.

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"Even since this tragedy happened, it's still been 'London, London, London' and what happened there -- a unique moment in times that still continues in the hearts and minds of people."

And in a letter to IPC members on Tuesday, Craven sought to shift attention from the "difficult and traumatic day" regarding Pistorius to remind how the London Paralympics succeeded in creating "a whole host of young world-class, medal-winning athletes."

Craven pointed to British sprinter Jonnie Peacock, who deposed Pistorius as 100-meter champion at the Paralympics, and Alan Oliveira, who took the 200 title in front of a crowd of some 80,000 in the London Olympic Stadium.

"It's upon their shoulders that the Paralympic movement will be moving forward and it's still continuing to be the most exciting times after London," Craven said by phone from the IPC winter sports championships in Spain.

Craven has experienced a "roller-coaster of emotion" since he was awakened Thursday with the news of the killing. Pistorius said at a bail hearing Tuesday that he mistook his girlfriend for a robber and the shooting was an accident, not premeditated murder.

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"Shock and disbelief," Craven recalled of his initial thoughts. "I could not believe what I was hearing ... because of this total difference between Oscar, the person I knew -- I won't say very well but I had interacted with him on many occasions in press conferences etc. and seen him compete -- and the Oscar we were hearing about now in the media and with what happened."

Craven said he had not witnessed any change in Pistorius' mindset at the Paralympics even when the runner created a storm by suggesting rival Oliveira was gaining an unfair advantage by using lengthened blades.

"In the heat of competition -- I remember when I was a wheelchair basketball player -- the redness would come down particularly if I didn't agree with certain refereeing decisions, and I've seen it in other athletes," Craven said. "I think it's something that happens all the time in athletic competitions.

He said the dispute about the blades didn't bother him, and "didn't make me think there was anything different in London (with Pistorius) to what there had been before."

Craven has not made contact with the 26-year-old Pistorius since the Valentine's Day arrest. The Paralympic chief has expressed the organization's condolences to the family of Steenkamp, the model and law graduate who was cremated Tuesday at a memorial service in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Craven wants IPC members to "respect" the justice system.

"This is a police case and we have to remain impartial at all times," he said. "The South African law courts will decide Oscar's fate over the coming months and only then will the full story of what actually happened emerge."

The case has delayed planned announcements on television rights sales for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The IPC has yet to find a U.S. network to show its competitions live after NBC was criticized for broadcasting only 5 1/2 hours of Paralympic highlights from London.

"Meetings have taken place with U.S. television stations with a view to things being put right, definitely by Rio, if not by Sochi," Craven said.